Giving Him a Chance
by Phaerie
Summary: Lily Evans is quite adamant that she will never give James Potter a chance, no matter how irritating her friends are on the subject.
1. Of Passing Notes to Pass the Time

**Disclaimer: **Phaerie doesn't own Harry Potter and Co.

**Who is writing what:**

**Lily Evans**

_Charlotte Abernathy_

_**Helen McAllister **_

**Giving Him a Chance**

**A James/Lily Fanfiction**

**By Phaerie**

Chapter One

**Of Passing Notes to Pass the Time**

Lily Evans quickly caught herself just as her head began slipping from the cradle of her palm and mentally slapped herself, hoping that that would be enough to keep her awake. Sometimes she had to wonder if Professor Binns' mystical powers of boredom came to him before or after his death. She was guessing before, since he seemed to have yet to realize he was, in fact, dead and very much a ghost.

And then other times, Lily found herself pondering whether or not he was still being paid for his "teaching" services. What use could a ghost have for money? Maybe he had it sent to his family? Did Binns have a family? All were interesting mysteries; much more interesting than the Goblin Rebellion of such and such year and the various amendments to the Muggle Protections Act that he tended to drone on and on and on and on and on about.

Normally these mysteries were enough to keep her mind occupied so that she could stay sitting upright in her chair, her dazed eyes transfixed blankly on the blackboard clearly visible through her translucent professor, and altogether looking relatively conscious should Binns happen to snap out of his lecture mode and take notice of the class in front of him.

Today though, Lily was tired. She'd been up half the night on patrol—_Potter's_ patrol. He'd skived off to Merlin knows where without notifying anyone and, _of course_, it had fallen to Lily to pick up his slack. She'd made it through her morning classes thanks to a giant mug of coffee, but—lo and behold—it was her only afternoon class of the day that was on the verge of doing her in.

She tried and failed to stifle a yawn. With a paranoid glance to the front of the classroom, she confirmed that Binns was still blissfully unaware, and she was severely tempted to just let her head fall to her desktop and take a much needed afternoon nap like Sirius Black was doing a few seats to her right, but she knew—she just _knew_—that the moment her skin came in contact with that polished wood that Binns would be shaken from his academic stupor just long enough to issue her a detention. And Lily Evans absolutely did not do detention. She was perfectly happy leaving the detention-getting to the infamous Marauders.

Dipping her quill into her inkpot lazily, she decided to doodle on the parchment she was supposed to be taking notes on. She was nearly finished with a rather artistic rendering of James Potter impaled with an assortment of pointy objects when blue ink began to wispily appear at the top of the parchment.

_James is looking rather dishy today, wouldn't you say?_

Lily could feel a distinctive twitch beginning to develop in her left eye. She dipped her quill back in her pitch black ink and scrawled back a reply before discreetly tapping the parchment with her wand to send the message across the classroom to her friend Charlotte Abernathy's own sheet of parchment. Said friend was looking awfully smug about something.

**No. I'd say he looks like someone hooked his head up to a helium pump and let 'er rip.**

_All right. So he's egotistical and arrogant and a show off, etc. etc. Doesn't change the fact that he is very good-looking. You've got to give him that, at least._

**Black is cuter.**

_Gasp! She wrote 'cuter'! As in a comparison! As in James is cute(!), but Sirius is cuter!_

_**Indeed she did. And they aren't 'cute'. They're gorgeous. James is gorgeous, but Sirius is gorgeous-er.**_

When the new scrawl made its way across her parchment under the last few lines, Lily looked up to see that her other friend Helen McAllister had decided to join in the fun of pissing her off by pushing for a conversation about Potter. Lily's emerald eyes narrowed as she regarded Helen, who grinned back cheekily with a short wave. With a sigh, she corrected her friend's inventive grammar.

**More gorgeous.**

_**Exactly.**_

**You do remember that you have a boyfriend, right?**

_**So? There's nothing wrong with looking at other guys so long as I don't touch. **_

Lily rolled her eyes and prepared to lecture Helen on how that outlook on dating was one that would ensure she lost said boyfriend, but Charlotte jumped back into the conversation before she could.

_Getting back on target—you can't hold it against James that Sirius was blessed genetically, though. Plus, when James has that grin on his face! You know?_

_**Oh sweet Merlin! That grin!**_

**Yes. That grin. That oh-so-glorious grin. How he loves to practice it in front of the mirror in hopes of producing these exact reactions.**

_Stop being sarcastic._

_**How can you tell she's being sarcastic? Tone doesn't transcend written word.**_

_It's written all over her face._

_**Oh, look! It really is!**_

**Would you two shut up already?**

_But we didn't say a thing!_

An amused snort rang throughout the classroom, just in time to follow the punch line of one of Binns' corny topical jokes. Binns looked momentarily pleased with himself before continuing with the lecture while Helen hid her giggles behind her hand. Charlotte began laughing quietly to herself as Helen's shoulders began to shake. Other students in the classroom were looking at them funnily, Lily included.

**What the hell, Helen? It wasn't that funny. Actually, it was completely and utterly lame.**

_**Sorry. History seems to have reduced my brain to goo. Everything's hilarious when you have a gooey brain.**_

_I'm sure it is. But getting back to the grin. When he's got that grin on his face, I'd pick him over Sirius hands down._

**Why are we even discussing this?**

_Because I finally figured it out!_

**Figured what out?**

_Why you keep saying no to James when he asks you out!_

**It took you this long to realize he's a pompous git that I hate?**

_No! You haven't made a pro/con list about him yet!_

_**She hasn't? Hey, that's right! She hasn't!**_

**What the hell?**

_You never decide anything before making a pro/con list._

**What? I am perfectly capable of deciding things without the aid of a bloody list!**

_**No you aren't. Remember third year? When we were trying to convince you to stay for the Christmas holiday? You had to weigh the pros and cons in great, drawn-out detail first before you finally decided to stay because the pros beat out the cons by one (i.e. staying meant no Petunia).**_

_Yeah. And you always make a pro/con list about other guys. Before you agree to go out with them and before you decide to dump them. But you haven't made one up for James yet. So get to it already._

_**Here, here!**_

**A pro/con list isn't going to change my answer to his incessant badgering that I date him.**

_How do you know until you write out the list?_

**Stop nodding, Helen. You're confusing poor Binns.**

_**But she's right. Your decision-making abilities are only ever trustworthy once you've made a pro/con list concerning the topic/issue/person. And James deserves the same chance you give other guys who show an interest in you.**_

_Exactly. So let's get started! We'll even be nice and help you out this time!_

Lily let out a frustrated growl and balled up her parchment. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? This was exactly why Lily preferred to have guy friends. Guy friends didn't try to pry into her love life, or anything too personal really. Girl friends that you were forced to share a dorm room with for ten months a year were much more meddlesome.

Charlotte and Helen were still writing rather enthusiastically to one another. With a huff, Lily smoothed the parchment back out and read what she'd missed.

_**Don't we always add our two knuts to her lists anyway?**_

_Yes, but this time we're offering instead of her having to beg us to help._

_**Oh, very true. Let's get to it then! I say we start with cons.**_

_Cons may take a while. I mean, it is Lily after all. She's a very negative person._

**You two do realize I can read everything you're writing, right?**

_**Hey look! She uncrinkled the parchment!**_

_Finally!_

_**Yay! Now for the list!**_

**I'm not writing a fucking list about Potter!**

_We'll just keep bugging you about it._

_**Yes, and you know how annoying we can be when we put our minds to it.**_

_Or do we need to remind you?_

_**Like that time—**_

**Fine! I'll write the damn list.**

Noticing the students around her packing up and beginning to leave, Lily shoved her book and supplies into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and stomped out of the classroom. _A pro/con list, _Lily huffed to herself._ It's only going to tell me what I already know: there is no way in Hell I am _ever_ going to give James Potter a chance._


	2. Of Writing Lists

**Disclaimer: **Phaerie claims no ownership of Harry Potter and Co.

**Who is writing what, yet again:**

**Lily Evans**

_Charlotte Abernathy_

_**Helen McAllister**_

**Giving Him a Chance**

Chapter Two

**Of Writing Lists and Conflicting Characteristics**

Lily just wanted to work on her Potions essay that was due next week; was that too much to ask? Apparently, since her friends had dragged her back to their dorm as soon as classes were finished and were refusing to let her leave—even for dinner—until she wrote some damn pro/con list about that wanker more commonly known as James Potter.

"You agreed to write the list, so get to it already," Charlotte demanded, hovering over Lily's shoulder. Lily had been sitting at her desk in front of a blank piece of parchment while twirling her quill around in lazy circles for at least ten minutes now, but she was still clueless how to even start. She figured this problem was mostly rooted in the fact that she didn't want to write the fucking list in the first place.

Helen, who was hanging upside down off the side of Lily's four-poster, lifted her head just enough to get a peek at the parchment. "You might start with making two columns and labeling them. At least, that's what I'd do were I writing a pro/con list. 'Cause, you know, without the two categories spelled out right there at the top for me… I mean, I may as well just be writing any old list, yeah?" she drawled sarcastically, flopping back down to watch her long brown hair spill onto the stone floor.

"Well I don't want to actually write the list, now do I?" Lily returned scathingly, "So, _you know_, if I don't bother starting it, then—well, look at that—no ridiculous list."

"None of us are leaving this room until this is finished," Charlotte declared with finality, throwing a quick hex at the door before the other two decided to attempt an escape.

"What!" Helen exclaimed. "Lily, write the effing list already!" she wailed.

Lily whirled in her chair to regard Helen incredulously. She was just as in on this shitty mess as Charlotte was; what the hell was she complaining for? Charlotte meanwhile regarded them both coolly before muttering to Lily, "She's supposed to be meeting Seb by the lake for their own _private_ dinner."

A smirk wormed its way across Lily's features at this news. "Really, Helen? That seems awfully romantic of Seb. Do you two have something special planned?"

"Bugger your way right out of my business and get to work, damn it!" Helen shouted, flailing her arms a bit to better emphasize her impatience. She stopped suddenly and put a hand to her head. "I feel dizzy."

"That's because all the blood is rushing to your head and you're flailing about like a madman," Lily informed her. Helen attempted a glare, but she wasn't really sure which Lily she should aim it at as she was currently seeing four or five spin around the room.

"Sit up already, will you?" Charlotte asked her concernedly. "And Lily. Start writing already. I'm getting hungry."

"But I don't know what to write!"

"James' pros and cons. Obviously," Helen reminded her. She was presently trying to pull herself back up in the bed, but with little success.

Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to the empty parchment.

"Just start listing things." Charlotte suggested. "What are James' pros? His good qualities? His redeeming characteristics?"

"He has none!" Lily exclaimed, fighting down the urge to pull at her hair in frustration.

"He does so. Stop being a blind fool already, will you?" Helen demanded just before a loud thump sounded in the dorm. Lily and Charlotte turned to see Helen sprawled on the floor groaning and cradling her head, having just rolled off the bed.

Lily shook her head and turned back toward her desk. "I can honestly think of nothing good to write about Potter."

"He's attractive," Charlotte supplied.

"No he is—"

"Don't even try to deny it," Charlotte quickly interrupted, "We had this conversation already. And it's in writing. Do we need to pull it out in order to refresh your memory?"

Lily glared a glare to end all glares. "Alright. So he's moderately attractive. But excuse me for looking just a bit deeper when considering whether or not to date a guy."

"Which is exactly why we're forcing you to write this list," Helen explained, having finally picked herself back up. "If you'd just look at James, really look at him as he is now, you'd see that he's perfect for you!"

"Precisely," Charlotte continued, "James is totally your type. You just won't admit it to yourself because of your silly pride. But we're sick of waiting for you to realize it so we're going to make you realize it."

"You two are mental," Lily declared with an incredulous look at her friends. "Potter is anything but 'my type.'"

Charlotte crossed her arms across her chest and said decisively, "We're not letting you leave here until you write that list—after which realization will finally dawn, hopefully—even if it takes all night."

"What!" Helen exclaimed frantically. "But I don't have all night! I'm meeting Seb! Lily!"

Lily held up her hands and shrugged. "Don't bitch at me! I can't do the impossible."

Helen looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown at that point. Charlotte eyed her concernedly. "Alright, calm down. Lily, you just worry about James' cons. We'll cover the pros."

"How will that help?" Lily asked, irked that they just wouldn't drop the stupid list idea entirely.

"We'll review the lists once we're done. So then, let's get started!"

Charlotte's declaration was followed by a lengthy lack of conversation. Lily was scribbling out a list of James' cons rather aggressively, her grip on her quill tightening at an alarming rate with each giggle and snort that erupted from Charlotte and Helen, who were sitting on her bed working on their own list of James' so-called pros. Lily's quill soon snapped in half, but it was just as well since it gave her an excuse to stop writing. She couldn't really think of anything else to add to her list at the moment. Her friends finished soon after and Helen sprang up from the bed excitedly. While Helen rushed to their bathroom to check her hair and make-up, Charlotte handed their list to Lily and snatched up Lily's in turn.

**James' Cons**

**(not restricted to simply those listed below)**

**As observed by Lily Evans**

**1. He's an arrogant prick.**

**2. He's a bully as well.**

**3. He's always pulling immature pranks with his idiot friends.**

**4. He somehow cheated his way to becoming Head Boy.**

**5. He never takes notes, never pays attention, never visits the library—yet his grades nearly match mine.**

**6. He practically flaunts his wealth.**

**7. His hair looks like a crow's nest.**

**8. His singing voice is absolutely horrid. Worse than the strangled cries of any dying animal that I've ever heard.**

**9. He's too persistent.**

**10. He's a two-faced liar. And a bad one at that.**

**11. He doesn't like me, he likes the idea of me.**

**12. He's a distraction.**

_James' Pros_

_Brought to you by Charlotte Abernathy_

_**And Helen McAllister**_

_**(because Lily can only see the goblet as half empty)**_

_**1. He's hot. (Though not as hot as Sirius, as previously established due to genetics.)**_

_2. He's Head Boy. Dumbledore vouched for him, so there has to be something there that's worthwhile._

_**3. His hair just looks so touchable. Don't you just want to run your fingers through it? Or put it up in a gazillion little ponytails?**_

_4. He's nearly your academic rival. Good for intelligent conversation._

_**5. The rogue-ish prankster persona plus aforementioned hotness equals one delish boy.**_

_6. He's got plenty of money, i.e. financial stability._

_**7. He's just your height. Well, a few inches taller, but not too much. You won't get a crick in your neck trying to snog him for extended periods of time.**_

_8. He's an awesome Chaser. Could be a back up career should the whole Auror thing fall though for him._

_**9. You've been a right bitch to him, but he still likes you. Shows devotion and infallible loyalty.**_

_10. He's always trying to impress you. It's adorable._

_**11. Lily Potter rolls right off the tongue. And it looks good on parchment, too.**_

_12. He's really very sweet in his own way._

_**13. He's heels over head for you.**_

_14. He makes you laugh, even though you always hold it in until you're somewhere far, far away from him._

_**15. You two have a definite spark.**_

Lily rolled her eyes multiple times during the course of reading through James' so-called pros and turned to Charlotte to tell her that their list was a load of bull only to see Charlotte rolling her eyes at Lily's list.

"This is all a load of bull, I hope you know," Charlotte commented with a dry look.

Lily snorted indignantly. "It's your list that's complete bollocks."

Charlotte waved a hand dismissively. "We'll go over these in more detail once Helen gets back tonight. I'd say we just go ahead and do it without her to get this over with already, but I don't think I'd have the patience to explain her points."

Lily sighed and let her head fall heavily onto her desk. Helen swept out of the bathroom right then and with a wide grin bid them goodbye. "I'm off. Don't wait up!"

Lily lifted her head to smirk as Helen practically skipped out of the dorm and called after her, "As your best friends, we're going to want details!"

Helen's voice rang clear from the staircase, "If you want details on tonight, then I want details of a heated snogfest with James!"

"Not fair!" Lily screeched back.

"Very fair," Charlotte cut in. "And it looks like this will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, how unfortunate," Lily remarked, trying to hide her smile. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to dinner."

"Oh no. I don't mind. I'll even join you," Charlotte offered, setting the list down and linking arms with Lily as they left the dorm.

"Goody. I hope they'll have pie tonight."

"You say that every night before dinner."

"Because every night I hope for pie. It's that hope that gets me up every morning."

"Really? 'Cause I wake up every morning in hopes that there'll be a dishy bloke waiting for me at dinner."

"A dishy bloke waiting for you with a _pie_."

"Ah, heaven."


	3. Of Drowning in the Nile

**Disclaimer: **Phaerie doesn't own Harry Potter and Co. Wow. How original was _that_?

**Giving Him a Chance**

Chapter Three

**Of Drowning in The Nile**

Lily rolled over with a groan as Helen's charmed alarm clock beeped incessantly through the dorm. She tried to block out the noise by stuffing her head under a pillow, which worked quite nicely until the alarm suddenly increased in volume and urgency. "Helen," she whined into her pillow, "Make it stop."

"Mmgph," Helen replied incoherently, pulling her blankets around her in a cocoon and ignoring the noise. The alarm was approaching full-on siren status by the time Lily heard what sounded like an incantation being muttered from Charlotte's side of the room and the alarm stopped abruptly, having exploded into thousands of infinitesimal pieces.

Lily could hear a great deal of shifting and cursing coming from the other side of the room and figured that Helen was finally trying to extract herself from her miniature den. "What the hell, Charlie!" Helen demanded groggily once her head had actually made it back into open air.

"You were warned," Charlotte growled back shortly. Lily would have rolled her eyes had she possessed the energy to actually open them. As it was, though, she just kept them shut and moved her pillow back under her head, prepared to immediately clonk out again.

It wasn't long, though, before Charlotte bolted up in bed to exclaim, "You're back!" in the general direction of Helen's bed. Helen, who was surveying the remains of her clock dismally and trying to rack her brain for a strong enough repair charm, glared back at her with a look that clearly stated, "No shit, Sherlock."

"No, I mean—oh, whatever! Lily, get your arse up! Helen's finally back, so we can go through those lists now!"

Charlotte's words were barely able to penetrate the fog of Lily's mind, but the second she mentioned those accursed lists, the words rang clearly and ominously.

"Screw that effing Potter list! It's Saturday morning. _Early_ Saturday morning. I'm sleeping," Lily grumbled back. She shot a hand out from under her comforter to blindly grope around for her wand on the bedside table to cast a silencing charm around her four-poster.

"Here, here!" Helen sang in agreement, plopping back on her bed and ducking under the covers once more.

Charlotte glared at her lazy roommates and lugged a pillow at Lily, knocking her wand out of her hand, for which she was rewarded with a rather unenthusiastic flip-off. "Helen," she called across the room, "Don't you have that bet going with Sirius?"

That had Helen up in an instant with an exclamation of "Shit! I'd nearly forgotten!"

Lily was mildly curious. "Bet?" she inquired somewhat wearily, though it was difficult to tell with her voice muffled as it was by her pillow.

"Yeah. I've got a bet going with Sirius about how long it's going to take you to finally give in to the inevitable and get with James, and my allotted time is nearly up." Helen explained hurriedly. "Let's get to work on those lists, shall we?"

Lily was silent a moment before she muttered thoughtfully, "Well that does explain your sudden interest in convincing me that Potter is The One. But I may as well save you the trouble; fork over the galleons now. It's never going to happen."

"Oh, but it is," Helen insisted, getting out of her bed and coming over to hop on Lily's. "And within the next week, at that." Lily merely turned onto her other side and focused on blocking out all noise.

"We'll start with the cons; save the best for last and all that," Charlotte suddenly announced. She joined Helen at the end of Lily's bed, lists in hand, and began going through each point. "To start, Lily, you wrote that James is 'an arrogant prick' and 'a bully as well.'"

"Seriously, Lily?" Helen whined indignantly. "That's the best you could come up with? How lame." Lily could feel her eye beginning to twitch, but continued to steadfastly ignore them.

"Very true. Lily, yes, James _was_ an arrogant prick, and he did _used_ to go around bullying a great many of people for his own amusement, but that's all past tense. Honestly, when was the last time you saw him hex another student? The last time he said something pricky?" Lily was loath to admit it, but no recent incident actually came to mind. She dismissed it as a symptom of her early morning foggy-head and shut her eyes determinedly.

Helen peered over Charlotte's shoulder to read off the list. "Immature pranks? They're not immature! They're funny!" Lily failed to hold in an indignant snort and slapped herself mentally for it.

"Well, some of them really are," Charlotte admitted thoughtfully, "But that doesn't change the fact that you still laugh at them, Lily. Which actually coincides with one of our points: he makes you laugh."

"Yeah," Helen continued, "But you have to be all stubborn about it and never let him actually _know_ that he makes you laugh. What's with that anyway? You hold it in for so long that you look like your head's about to pop off by the time you judge you're finally far enough away that he won't hear you."

Lily's head appeared abruptly above the sea of blankets so that she could snap, "Laughing in front of him would only encourage him, and as Head Girl I can't allow—"

"What a lovely segue into our next topic: the issue of his Head instatement," Charlotte cut in quickly. It was always best to cut Lily's lectures on the duties of a Head student short before it disintegrated into a rant about how Potter was shirking all his duties and leaving her to take on everything he left undone.

"Oh, that touches on another of our points," Helen squealed delightedly. "Dumbledore would have never let him cheat his way into that position. He noticed that James was finally growing up. He probably did it to encourage him to _keep_ growing up."

"Exactly. And before you start up again, yes, we realize that he hasn't been fulfilling all of his duties as Head Boy, but you exaggerate most of all that anyway. And shouldn't you cut him some slack? He's also trying to keep his grades up, prepare for NEWTS, and handle his duties as captain of the Quiddtich team. It's not exactly easy to juggle all that at once."

"I have yet to have a problem with the work load and duties," Lily pointed out scathingly.

"Yes, but you also don't play Quidditch," Helen chirped in return.

"I have the Slug Club!" Lily exclaimed.

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow at the indignant human-shaped lump on the bed. "Yes, but that hardly requires the amount of extra time that being a House Quiddtich captain does."

Lily huffed, grabbed her pillow, and headed for Charlotte's bed, pulling the curtains closed behind her with a sharp snap.

"Moving on," Charlotte continued, "The rant about his grades? Ever think that maybe he's just smart? You've seen the pranks they pull off. The spells and charms they use—not your run-of-the-mill Zonko's supply."

"Yeah, what's so bad about him having a brain?" Helen wondered aloud. She fell back on the space Lily had just vacated and squirmed around until she'd made herself comfortable.

"Did you two totally miss the first part of that particular sentence? He's a disruption in class and never pays attention to anything the teachers say," Lily grumbled back.

"He and his friends keep class from being a total bore and you know it," Charlotte replied with a roll of her eyes. "And maybe he doesn't pay attention because what the teachers are teaching is nothing new to him."

Lily just scoffed. "When have you ever seen him in the library actually learning anything?"

"You don't have to go to the library to study," Helen pointed out matter-of-factly.

"When have you ever seen him studying then?" Lily countered.

"Plenty of times. He just isn't fond of studying in front of the general populace. Something about maintaining his slacker reputation."

"Whatever." There was the distinctive sound of Lily shifting on the bed and rearranging the covers, most probably over her head.

Helen grabbed Lily's list from Charlotte and looked back over the points she'd made. "His hair does not look like a crow's nest!" she exclaimed. "It's gorgeous! And so touchable! I just want to comb my fingers through it and put it up in a bunch of little pony tails!"

"Yes, we know. You actually thought it necessary to include that on the list of his pros," Charlotte drawled before dismissing Helen's claim and moving on to the next _relevant_ point. "James doesn't 'flaunt his wealth,' you know."

"What do you call that excessive bragging he was doing when he got that top-of-line new broom at the start of term?" Lily questioned accusingly.

"He wasn't bragging," Helen explained. "He was acting the same as all guys act when they get a new broom, especially one as stellar as a Shooting Star 3000."

Charlotte hummed in acquiescence and asked, "What the hell do you mean by his 'horrid singing voice?'"

"Dear Merlin, are you referring to that time he tried to serenade you from the bottom of the stairs?" Helen gasped, an amused grin spreading easily across her face as she recalled that particular attempt of James' to win over Lily.

"He did sound remarkably like a dying animal screeching its last will," Charlotte conceded.

"True, but it was _so sweet_," Helen squealed. Lily groaned and stuck her fingers in her ears.

"Which is another point we made: he's sweet, just in his own, awkward way," Charlotte said with a smirk.

"Exactly."

Lily finally gave up on ignoring them—well, sort of ignoring them—and asked amicably, "Should I make an appointment with St. Mungo's to have you two admitted, or will they accept walk-ins?"

They both disregarded her and went on with the break down of Lily's reasons for hating James. "What do you mean by this persistence bit?"

"I was referring to his endless come-ons and demands that I date him," she informed them.

Helen looked over to the closed curtains. "But he hasn't done that in forever."

"Well, at least not yet this term," Charlotte added.

Lily chose to go back to ignoring them as her stomach began to grumble unhappily. With a distressed sigh, she pushed back the covers she'd been hiding under and got out of Charlotte's bed, heading over to her wardrobe to find some clothes to put on so that she could head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Lily took a moment to bask in the fact that she was actually up early enough on a Saturday to make it to breakfast, before she remembered that it had been such a rude and unpleasant awakening.

"'He's a distraction' sounds an awful lot like denial to me," Charlotte went on, "Like you're attracted to him and so you keep noticing him, but you don't want to admit to anything so you label him as a distraction."

"I second that analysis," Helen piped up.

"Same goes for the 'he likes the idea of me' thing."

Helen nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't help but read some disappointment in that one. You're just making up lame excuses not to be with him 'cause you're afraid." Lily, who was once again trying to steadfastly block out her friends' insane yammering, slammed the wardrobe door shut violently. She was most certainly _not afraid _of anything Potter-related. She wasn't afraid of anything at all.

"And this whole two-faced liar thing?" Charlotte asked incredulously. "Yeah, he dodges around the truth sometimes, but other than when he's trying to be sly and weasel his way out of trouble, he's one of the most honest guys I've ever met. Only Remus ranks above him in that particular category."

Lily yanked her t-shirt on over her head and wailed, "You're so—how can you be so blind?"

"What?" they chorused.

"He's an arsehole!" Lily roared. "All that rubbish about being in love with me? And having eyes for no other? All that other bull he spews? It's all a bunch of lies. He doesn't give a shit about me!"

"What are you talking about? He's totally in love with you!" Helen asserted. "Look, we even put that under his pros: he's heels over head for you."

Lily whirled around to glare at her friends. "Stop defending that bastard!" she yelled. She stormed over to them, still sitting on her bed, and grabbed the lists, balling them up in the process due to her temper-fueled grip. Then she was out of the dorm, stomping down the stairwell to the common room.

She'd just stepped off the bottom stair and was making her way to the roaring fireplace when she ran into James who was coming down the boys' staircase. Lily regarded him with a furious glare and pushed past him.

"Lily! Hey! Wait just a minute, will you?" James called after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her back around to face him.

"What do you want Potter?" she spat, her eyes flashing.

"To apologize," he began earnestly. "For missing my turn at rounds. Again. It's just—well, something really urgent came up and I completely forgot. But I really am sorry. Unceasingly, irrevocably, _inconceivably_ sorry."

"Something really urgent?" she replied scathingly. "What? You couldn't wait a few hours before pulling your prank?"

"I wasn't out pranking, silly Lily-flower," James admonished teasingly, grinning easily in spite of her fierce glare. "I've no time for that, what with all this Head business jamming up my schedule. I can only afford to make time to maraud in celebration of major holidays."

"Since when has Labor Day been considered a major holiday?" she challenged coolly.

"Since always!" James gasped in mock-offense. "Why, how else would we know when it's acceptable or not to wear white?"

Normally, Lily would have had to hide an amused grin at this point, but as it was, she was already frustrated and James was merely succeeding in annoying her further. So she rolled her eyes and jerked her arm out of his grip, throwing the balled up lists into the fire as she made her way to the portrait hole to begin her search for sustenance.

James remained in the common room, looking after her with a regretful look. He noticed as the parchment she'd tossed to be devoured by the dancing flames bounced out of the grate and rolled under a nearby armchair. He walked over and bent down to pick it up, careful of the lightly simmering edges and prepared to throw it back in when something written on the parchment caught his eye: his name. Eyebrows shooting up above his fringe, he looked around to see if anyone was watching before blowing out the few lingering sparks, stuffing the parchment into a pocket in his robes, and leaving the common room to find the other Marauders.


	4. Of Tearing Up and Tearing Down

**Disclaimer:** Phaerie does not own Harry Potter and Co.

**Giving Him a Chance**

Chapter Four

**Of Tearing Up and Tearing Down**

Lily stormed down the corridor leading from Gryffindor Tower to the Entrance Hall, the sound of her stomping footsteps bouncing from one stone wall to the other loudly. She could feel hot tears building up at the corners of her eyes and decided to take a detour to the Great Hall. Her pace quickened as the salty drops began to fall, but she didn't allow herself to break down until she was hidden behind the closed door of an empty classroom, safe from the curious stares of the gossipy paintings and wandering students.

She fell back against the worn wood of the door and slid slowly to the stone floor, her chest constricting with gasping sobs. Her emotions were racing all over the place and throwing her mind into confusion.

First her two closest friends had the gall to try and convince her to go out with Potter when they _knew_ how much she couldn't stand him. Then when she tried to explain to them, _again_, just why she couldn't stand him, they basically accused her of being unnecessarily petty. Why was everyone always on that bastard's side? How could they fail to see how truly horrible he was? Had no one else ever managed to see through all his lies?

Through the chaotic whirlwind of thoughts and feelings crashing around inside her head, a single memory began replaying before Lily's inner eye in perfect clarity.

* * *

_Lily slammed shut the tomb of a book sitting on the table before her and scowled around the library. Exams were already over so there was absolutely no reason for her to be there, which was actually the only reason why she _was_ there_. _Charlotte and Helen would never come looking for her here, despite it being her usual haunt. Once exams finished, Lily happily deserted the library in favor of the outdoors or extra sleep in her comfy bed, and her sixth year would have been no exception if her friends weren't on the prowl looking to chew her out for yelling at Potter._

_Really, it wasn't as if it was the first time she'd said something nasty to him in order to wipe that arrogant smirk off of his face; she didn't see why they should suddenly get upset with her about it._ _All right, so yes, she _had_ been a right bitch to him—as Helen so eloquently put it—but she was _always _a right bitch when it came to all things Potter._

_Although, she supposed it wasn't necessary to insult his manhood in such a crude fashion in front of half the student body, but the bastard had it coming. Or so she adamantly claimed. She hadn't actually given him a chance to get out whatever it was he had been trying to say when he'd approached her outside the Great Hall earlier. And he had looked particularly hurt that his precious Lily-flower had seen fit to humiliate him so completely when he hadn't even done anything at the moment to warrant it._

_Lily sighed and looked down at the table dejectedly. She had been exceptionally cruel earlier, and Potter hadn't technically deserved it. She guessed it was best to just follow Charlotte's advice and apologize to the idiot. Besides, she really wanted to go back to the dorm and finally sleep for a full night._

_Lily stood and went to replace the book she'd been hiding behind back onto the proper shelf before making her way out of the library and towards the Gryffindor common room. She stopped to exchange pleasantries with the Fat Lady (always best to butter her up when you were trying to get inside the common room after curfew, as Lily was doing now) before offering the password and peeking around the portrait to check who might be in the common room and spiteful enough to rat on her._

_There was a group of what looked like fifth through seventh years in one corner near the fire, but they all seemed too preoccupied with whatever it was they'd gathered for to notice her coming in. She slowly pushed open the portrait hole and made to step into the room as quietly as she could, keeping an eye on the group in the corner._

_Then she noticed just what it was that they were all so focused on and froze, still halfway in the hall. There in the center with all eyes focused on him, _as always_, was James Potter. Snogging Jamika Watson._

_Lily could feel all the blood draining from her face and felt faint. She stumbled back into the corridor, ignoring the Fat Lady's inquiries as she raced back to her sanctuary._

_Once again ensconced in the protective aisles of the library, her feet continued to carry her to the far most corner, her body on autopilot but completely sure of where it was going as it maneuvered between the bookshelves seamlessly. She stopped abruptly just before she ran into the wall and turned around to lean against it._

That stupid berk_, Lily thought angrily. There she was on her way to apologize to him, and he was making out in the common room with that fifth-year Watson who all the other girls secretly referred to as the slut of Gryffindor due to her well-publicized sexual exploits. Lily could feel angry tears starting to prick at her eyes and balled one hand into a fist against the stone wall._

That's probably what he was going to tell me earlier. He's moved , how sad_, she thought sarcastically. But then a wave of pure, undiluted _hurt _passed through her and she felt her knees give way. Potter had given up on her. It should've been a fucking miracle, but Lily didn't feel elated in the least._

_She felt numb._

_And she couldn't get the thought out of her head._

James gave up on me.

* * *

_The next day found Lily awakening during the wee hours before dawn in the library. There were dried tear tracks running down the sides of her face, and she rubbed at the itching skin. She got off the cold floor and started making her way back to her dorm, all in a daze._

_At first she hadn't known why she'd been bothered so much by the fact that she'd seen Potter with another girl. But after puzzling through it for well over an hour, she'd finally realized that she was_ jealous. _She actually had feelings for that prat. Of course, she didn't realize this until he'd already moved on. But it was only a little crush, she told herself firmly. She'd be over him just the same in no time._ _'No time' apparently lasted longer than six hours, though._

_Lily didn't bother trying to go back to sleep once she was in Gryffindor Tower. She just headed straight for the showers, changed into a clean uniform, and headed down to the Great Hall. She was the first one there, and it was quite awhile before anyone else showed up and even longer before any food appeared. Even once the tables were overflowing with dishes, she just stared straight ahead, not actually seeing anything._

_The Marauders entered the Hall surprisingly early, and James made a beeline for her as soon as he'd stepped through the doors. She felt the sudden urge to hurl as he approached her, no doubt wanting to say what she hadn't let him say the day before._

_"You all right, Lily? You look like you might be coming down with something?" James asked her concernedly, sliding onto the bench across from her._

_"Fine," she replied, her voice sounding scratchy._

_"You sure?" he pressed. Lily felt a tickle of annoyance and let it be known in the narrowing of her eyes. James threw his hands up defensively, "Sorry."_

_Lily sighed and looked down at the table and the empty plate sitting before her. "What do you want?"_

_James suddenly grinned. "Nothing much. Just a date," he answered cheekily._

_Lily's head snapped up, and she practically gawked at him. That arrogant arse actually had the audacity to sit before her and ask her out when he'd been making out with the sluttiest girl in Gryffindor last night for the whole Tower to see?_

_It seemed James hadn't given up on her after all. No, Lily quickly concluded, he was never interested in her in the first place. She was just a challenge; an obstacle that his ego needed to overcome._

_She wasn't sure when exactly she'd stood up, but she apparently had at some point. She stood over James, her entire body quaking with rage, before she drew her arm back and socked him full on in the nose._

* * *

Lily pulled herself from her memories by banging her head against the door behind her twice. Taking a shuddering breath, she scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes with her sleeves. She stood slowly and opened the door with an air of finality. Potter was a jerk and she was never going to go on a date with him. _Surprise, surprise, _she thought as she slowly continued down to the Great Hall. _The Cons have it._


	5. Of Unexpected Responses

**Disclaimer: **Phaerie does not own Harry Potter and Co.

**Who's writing what this time around:**

**Lily Evans**

_**Helen McAllister**_

_Charlotte Abernathy_

**James Potter**

_**Sirius Black**_

_Remus Lupin_

**Giving Him a Chance**

Chapter 5

**Of Unexpected Responses**

Lily ignored the startled looks she got from the second years she sat down amongst at the Gryffindor table. She wasn't in the mood to fend off her so-called friends at the moment, and she certainly wasn't about to risk another run-in with Potter. So she loaded her plate with fresh waffles and asked, rather politely considering her current mood, one of the second years to pass the maple syrup.

When Charlotte and Helen entered a few minutes later, Lily didn't even deign to look up when they called her name. Luckily after three tries, they gave up and left her to herself. Potter and his band of merry men entered shortly after with their heads bent together, which was a good bit worrisome, but Lily couldn't be bothered to interrogate them. In fact, she couldn't be bothered to finish her breakfast either. The syrupy mess oozed across the plate slowly, and Lily felt her stomach turn. Grabbing an apple, she made for the library instead. An afternoon surrounded by the dusty tomes was just what she needed to lift her spirits. Well, at least to keep them from sinking any lower.

* * *

By the time Madam Pince dimmed the torches in the library to signal she'd be making rounds in five minutes to lecture any stragglers on the proper way to shelve the books, Lily had been reduced to quietly banging her head against a tabletop. After reading for two hours straight, none of the books she'd dragged down had managed to hold her attention for longer than a few minutes, no matter the subject. She wanted to go back to her dorm and sleep, but at the same time didn't think it was worth it if she had to run into Charlotte and Helen. Avoiding people for extended periods of time was turning out to be exceedingly boring.

With a sigh, Lily stood from her chair and sent the stack of books on the table back to the stacks with a flick of her wand. She made her way out to the corridor at a rather sedate pace, no doubt exacerbated by the way she was dragging her feet. It was nearly curfew, but she was Head Girl, so it wasn't like she'd get into trouble for being out in the halls after hours; she could claim to be on patrol, after all. And if she walked around for a bit, by the time she got to the dorm, odds were that her roommates would be in bed themselves. Though it was a Saturday night, she reminded herself. Oh well, she'd just make a stop at the kitchens while on her pseudo-rounds. A nice cup of coffee, and she'd be grand.

* * *

Lily figured she was fairly safe to venture back to the dorm by two in the morning. The common room was empty except for a few couples cuddled up in the corners talking quietly to each other. Lily passed them and climbed the stairs as quickly as her exhausted legs would carry her, then made a beeline for her bed as soon as she entered the seventh-year dorm room. The curtains were pulled around both Charlotte's and Helen's beds, she happily noted in the back of her mind.

Eyes closed and a giddy smile on her face, Lily flopped onto her bed only to frown at the sound of crinkling paper and the feel of pointy parchment edges digging into her cheekbones. She lifted her head just enough to yank the offending parchment out of the way. Suspecting a passive-aggressive missive from her roommates, she cast a lackluster _Lumos_ and eyed it warily. The heading, though, chased all sense of fatigue from Lily's mind as she clutched it close to her wand tip. As she raked her eyes across the scrawled words, a flush rose from her neck to high on her cheeks, due to equal parts anger and embarrassment.

**James' Defense**

**Carefully composed by James Potter**

_**Made bearable by Sirius Black**_

_I apologize in advance - Remus Lupin_

**In response to: **

_James' Pros_

_Brought to you by Charlotte Abernathy_

_**And Helen McAllister**_

_**(because Lily can only see the goblet as half empty)**_

_**1. He's hot. (Though not as hot as Sirius, as previously established due to genetics.)**_

**Still hotter than Remus and Peter. I feel this should count for something.**

_**If things fall through with Jamie, we'd make lovely babies together, Lily-deerest.**_

**I would also like to call into question Sirius' genetics, which are the result of extensive inbreeding.**

_2. He's Head Boy. Dumbledore vouched for him, so there has to be something there that's worthwhile._

_Unless, of course, Dumbledore is just as batty as we often believe him to be._

**Ah, but his battiness and his genius are often mistaken for one another. Let's go with genius on this one.**

_**3. His hair just looks so touchable. Don't you just want to run your fingers through it? Or put it up in a gazillion little ponytails?**_

_**Or set fire to it, alternatively.**_

**Just no. To all that mentioned. Unless you are suddenly overcome by the urge to run your fingers through my hair, Lily, in which case, please do.**

_4. He's nearly your academic rival. Good for intelligent conversation._

_He's much more tolerable when he just sits there and nods, so I wouldn't count on it._

**I would take offence, but I've been instructed to just sit here and nod.**

_**5. The rogue-ish prankster persona plus aforementioned hotness equals one delish boy.**_

_**Are you planning to eat him or something?**_

**I would like to amend that to 'man.' One delish man.**

_**I'm curious to know how my genetic disposition towards hotness might factor into such an equation.**_

_6. He's got plenty of money, i.e. financial stability._

_When you inevitably divorce, you can then drain him of all of it._

_**And then you can come make lovely babies with me!**_

**Inbreeding. Those babies would have tails.**

_**7. He's just your height. Well, a few inches taller, but not too much. You won't get a crick in your neck trying to snog him for extended periods of time.**_

_**A solid point. I have to admit that this can become a real problem. I've quite a bit of experience in this arena. Major height differences will lead to a crick, unless of course things get horizontal.**_

**Which they won't! I respect you far too much for that. Unless of course you **_**want**_** things to get horizontal. It's your decision. Completely your decision.**

_By which he means that he's picturing getting horizontal right now._

**I would really like to refute that, but I also don't want to lie, so I'm just going to move on.**

_8. He's an awesome Chaser. Could be a back-up career should the whole Auror thing fall though for him._

_**You could be a trophy wife!**_

**We're trying to make me look good here. Not force Lily into your waiting arms.**

_With the previously mentioned wealth still in play, a career isn't entirely necessary. On that note, Sirius is also substantially wealthy._

**Was! He was! His mother's too mad to write him back into the will.**

_**9. You've been a right bitch to him, but he still likes you. Shows devotion and infallible loyalty.**_

_**Like a dog!**_

_If you were in on the joke here, Lily, you'd see another sad attempt of Sirius' to steal you away._

**Stags are far more loyal anyway!**

_**In what magical animal kingdom?**_

_I think you're both confusing dogs and stags with badgers._

_10. He's always trying to impress you. It's adorable._

_It's annoying._

_**Ridiculous.**_

_Also, embarrassing._

_**Not to mention just plain sad.**_

**I feel we're deviating from the purpose of this rebuttal.**

_We only speak the truth._

_**11. Lily Potter rolls right off the tongue. And it looks good on parchment, too.**_

**I believe this point speaks for itself.**

_**Lily Black works quite well, I think. Lily Lupin would be too much alliteration, though.**_

_I have not joined the race for Lily's affections, no offence Lily, so kindly refrain from mentioning my name in conjunction with your delusions, Sirius._

_12. He's really very sweet in his own way._

_**Sweet as Cockroach Clusters.**_

_Sweet as a vomit-flavoured Bertie Bott._

**Or something normal, like sweet as Sugar Quills.**

_**13. He's heels over head for you.**_

_**Which I believe means he's horizontal for you.**_

**As I said, only if Lily wants things to get horizontal.**

_I think that sentiment got lost in translation._

_14. He makes you laugh, even though you always hold it in until you're somewhere far, far away from him._

**I make you laugh?**

_**It's a miracle!**_

_Perhaps she's laughing at you._

**I think you're overanalyzing it; she's definitely laughing with me.**

_At you._

_**I concur!**_

_**15. You two have a definite spark.**_

**Which could be fanned into a flame. If you wanted.**

_**A flame that would then continue to grow until it engulfed the school and destroyed it.**_

**No exams then.**

_**I concur!**_

**Also**

**James' Cons**

**(not restricted to simply those listed below)**

**As observed by Lily Evans**

**1. He's an arrogant prick.**

**I freely admit that I provided you with more than enough evidence to support that statement, but I have been at least attempting to grow up.**

_All joking aside, he has been making a serious effort._

_**We're so serious about this that I'm not even going to make my trademark pun. You're welcome.**_

**2. He's a bully as well.**

**From the bottom of my heart, I apologize for my previous behavior. I've apologized to Snape, most notably. He didn't accept it, but I put it out there. In my defense, I was a kid. Most kids are petty and do many stupidly cruel things. That's no excuse, though.**

**3. He's always pulling immature pranks with his idiot friends.**

_Not all of us are idiots, thank you very much._

_**None of us are idiots! Have you even bothered to analyze the complexity of the spells involved in our pranks?**_

**Which isn't to say that they aren't immature; they generally are.**

_**Phenomenally complex for their immaturity!**_

**And they're all meant in good fun. Usually.**

**4. He somehow cheated his way to becoming Head Boy.**

_**How exactly does one cheat Albus Dumbledore? I would very much like to know.**_

_Admittedly, James did circumvent the prior status as a Prefect rule._

**And while I gladly accepted the position and the duties associated, it was hardly something I was aspiring to. Nonetheless, I've been taking the job very seriously. And yes, I've missed rounds a few times, but I promise it was for a very good reason.**

**5. He never takes notes, never pays attention, never visits the library—yet his grades nearly match mine.**

_**I would like to again bring up the sheer complexity of our masterpieces that you crudely refer to as "immature pranks." If me and Jamie bothered to put actual effort into our classes like you and dear Remus do, we'd put all of you to shame.**_

**Exactly. I study plenty, just not in the library. I'm sorry, but it would go against all I stand for if I were to step foot in there.**

_At least during the posted hours of operation._

**If, however, you would like for us to study together, I would gladly brave Pince's screeches of eternal banishment to absorb knowledge with you.**

**6. He practically flaunts his wealth.**

**A specific example of this would have been greatly appreciated. I've been told this by other reliable sources—**

_By which he means me._

**Yes, but said source never bothers to tell me when I'm doing it, so how am I supposed to correct my behavior without being aware of what to correct?**

_**I have yet to spot any such misbehavior.**_

_That's because you do the exact same thing._

_**I still maintain that I fail to see the issue here.**_

**7. His hair looks like a crow's nest.**

_I believe this was covered in the list previous, referencing, of course, "James' Pros, Point 3."_

_**Yes. I suggested you set his hair on fire. I believe this solution is what could be considered a win-win.**_

**I protest this so-called solution quite adamantly, as no winning aspect is overtly discernable.**

_**Lily wins because you're in pain and your hair is gone so that you can't make it messy trying to look sexy. I win because you'll look hideous bald and scarred, thereby making me infinitely more attractive by comparison. Win-win.**_

**Lily-flower, please ignore the crazy man. He knows not of what he speaks.**

**8. His singing voice is absolutely horrid. Worse than the strangled cries of any dying animal that I've ever heard.**

_**I would liken it more to a hippogriff's shriek of rage at the slightest offence.**_

_His voice does have a lyrical quality if heard from underwater or through a door with an impressive silencing charm layered on it._

**Thank you both for your glowing endorsements. So kind of you, truly. Lily, if you would like to negotiate some kind of deal in exchange for my musical silence, I am very much open to it. I ask that you keep in mind, though, that I quite like to sing, so convincing me to give up my aspirations of fronting a world-famous band will come at a high price.**

**9. He's too persistent.**

**I'm not saying you're wrong on this point, but I am arguing that it is a pro, not a con. I like to think of my persistence as one of my greatest strengths.**

_**It's greatly annoying, at any rate.**_

_James is correct that this is a trait that can go either way. From your perspective, Lily, I believe you view it in a negative aspect because said persistence has lead to him hounding you endlessly since fourth year. And to be fair, from James' perspective, it's a good thing he's so persistent because otherwise he'd never achieve much of anything._

**10. He's a two-faced liar. And a bad one at that.**

_**Jamie's quite an astute liar, actually. Remus is the only one who can accurately ascertain the relative truth of any statement he utters.**_

**I somehow doubt that will redeem me in Lily's eyes.**

_Likely not._

**In any case, yes, I do sometimes lie. Not nearly much as people seem to think though. I feel this is another of those instances when a specific example would help immeasurably.**

**11. He doesn't like me, he likes the idea of me.**

**I heartily disagree. I very much like you and everything about you.**

_He's been known to wax poetical on this very topic too many times to count, and for your benefit, I have secured all the quills well out of his reach. James would like me to assure you, though, that he's mad for you. As in crazy about you, he clarifies, not as in he's become angry on your behalf._

_**Please agree to date him so that he will shut up. But not until next weekend. I've got money on this.**_

**12. He's a distraction.**

**I'm honestly not sure how to respond to this, other than to say I'm sorry. I'm not sure what exactly I'm sorry for, but I am nonetheless very sorry.**

_**No, he's not.**_

**Yes, I am!**

_**He can't very well be genuinely sorry for something if he doesn't even know what it is.**_

_And that, lady and gentlemen, fulfills Sirius' life-time quota for statements of profound wisdom._

**I think it best to just end this rebuttal now and send it on its way. Please don't be angry.**

Once she'd reached the end, Lily balled the parchment up and threw it at the wall. It ricocheted and sedately rolled back to rest innocently in front of her. With a glare, she prodded the blasted paper with the end of her wand, sifting through her mental spell index trying to think of one suitably destructive to cast on it. Positioning her arm to begin the movements for an _Incendio_, she paused to consider the abused parchment. Never shoot the messenger, and all that, she supposed. No, much more effective to go straight to the root of the problem. With that thought, she marched back out of her dorm, down the girls' staircase and then up the boys'.


End file.
